Temporal Illusions
by Okkomuri
Summary: There are more sinister effects to tearing the fourth dimension than most are aware. The story of a research outpost in the Arcadian Stream, and a particular subject the Thargoids seem to have dumped off with them. Multiple character perspectives.


_Log update, Dr. Yilmaz: August 28__th__, 3305, 7:55 UGT. _

_Subject B-037 remains cataplexic and has been in an unconscious state for the past 13 hours. Signs of muscular and neurodegenerative dystrophy continue at a controlled steady rate, though heart rate and respiration monitors have indicated some difficulty overnight. In order to rule out some form of airway obstruction, and to prevent bed sores from arising, I'll need to have Dr. Armand approve some assistance in turning the subject over and taking a closer analysis. We've been very careful not to move the body, not only out of concern for the lingering radiation exposure risks. The last spoken interaction anyone had with the subject was days ago now, and I fear his condition may take a turn for the worse. Granted, that's hardly our primary concern anymore. What the bugs did to him… the fact that it could happen at all, means we can't afford missing this opportunity. _

He'd been the subject of study for the past eleven days, here at the research outpost on Assaify VI-C c28-3 4. Their humble, to be modest, setup was far out in the Arcadian Stream, enough so that even the most intrepid explorers – wayward in their wanderings of this particular corner of the unknown, in Dr. Yilmaz's opinion – were far more unlikely than anything to stumble across it.

"Stirred and unshaken," a voice sounded from the woman's side, as Dr. Benson had made his way down the main hub's hallways and into the back common room. Ava had her habit of waking up and making logs first thing over a very light breakfast, usually some form of protein or light carbs. That said, the back kitchenette, although closer to her quarters, also had no functioning coffee machine.

"Thank you," Ava offered a brief smile before returning to her holo-tablet. Benson had always been friendly with her, though lately it seemed he'd taken a bit more focus to their little one-on-one interactions. "Any news on the distributor?" She knew he'd just come from reading their morning briefs, small updates that went around from everyone each morning. Ava typically worried about these closer to 10:30. "No," Mikael answered from the rim of his own cup, steam rising into the ventilation systems. "Though there's going to be another storm come noon, Dvorak wants it patched up before then."

This world held a trace atmosphere, mixed nitrogen and carbon dioxide – without enough oxygen thrown in to even risk the hair of a breath, were it not also toxic. Even so, the coldness meant the gases tended to linger closer to the surface than on other worlds, and life here was scattered in its unicellular, simple algae forms at best. This meant patches of loose, dusty material were kicked up from time to time, and depending on the month and time of day, storms with small silicate particles put the exterior of the station at risk for small to moderate damages. They were constantly keeping track of micro-tears and resurfacing exposed equipment.

It was a blessing that the initiative's funders were wise enough to advise drill-blasting into the permafrost, rather than leaving most of the research hub topside.

"He'd better get out there soon, then," Dr. Yilmaz commented, as Benson smirked. They both knew the cybersecurity/engineering expert was the worst of them all when it came to starting the day. He wasn't lazy, but had a terrible habit of going to sleep from 4-10am.

"So, how's our favorite narcolept doing?" Mikael turned to gaze through the observation window at the rear of the kitchenette. It had been meant as a separate sleeping quarters or makeshift pantry, originally. But, as things were now, the medical team simply didn't have the space to store him down below. If the man's condition could begin to reverse, then they could move him again… but, truth be told, he simply wasn't well enough for them to risk it.

"Developed sleep apnea overnight," Dr. Yilmaz answered, turning to join Mikael in watching the topic of interest. "That and a couple concerning heart palpitations." Benson became quiet at that, the man's light brown eyes – usually friendly and curious – now had grown serious, and almost darkened to a medium hue. "They need to get up here," he spoke after a few moments of contemplation, referring to the medical staff below. They didn't have much to spare, and it had been a topic of continued difficulty for the administration.

The life sciences team had their orders from the initiative, they were to investigate the bugs below and nothing more. Any research outpost here, on this side of the galaxy opposite the civilized bubble, was guaranteed to have rich and shadowy backing. So, who would the medical staff be to ignore the directives of their employers, for the state of one man?

Ava contemplated this, recalling how he had come to them.

It'd been an otherwise quiet and uneventful day, even for her. The first sign of something wrong was a pale off-white light, steadily growing to the point of shining like a neutron star. The only difference was that the glow increased until it became a faint lime-green hue. There are no such stars, so the moment that started to become apparent, the station was put on high alert.

It hadn't taken long for the light's intensity to increase, but after the color shift began, the thing just stayed more or less as it was – wobbling a bit here and there, and with no obvious sign as to what was causing it. An investigative drone was sent out, and three and a half kilometers above the surface – still over a hundred and fifty meters from the object – the electrical sensors and feedback started going haywire until the machine crashed.

At the time, everyone had the same though, Ava included: '_They've found us._'

There'd been stories before, whispered and hushed rumors within the circles of elite researchers that had dedicated interest or had been out in the void, of Thargoids appearing to attack and wreak havoc on various research facilities dedicated to investigating their kind. These were almost always random, though much more highly concentrated on facilities investigating the bug's corpses.

Fortunately for them all, this particular outpost held no such things. They did, however, house a multitude of xeno ship components and 'technology', if one could call it that and not biotechnology as Ava herself viewed it.

The light had remained for a solid 45 minutes before suddenly dropping, tearing through the fourth dimension as Thargoid ships often do, and then releasing a humanoid figure before fading and shooting off into the expanse above, disappearing through brightness rather than distance as it did so.

A recovery team went out and found the man, his body barely kept alive by his flight suit, mangled and irradiated beyond recognition. His identifications were missing, any digital information scorched out of the components, and the material of the suit damaged to the point that identifying its maker was nearly impossible.

The man somehow had enough breathable air to keep him alive for another five minutes by the time they'd recovered him. '_How could that be? Where was he, and what was going on for those forty-five minutes? And before that?_' The questions buzzed through everyone's minds, but their first task had been getting him stabilized.

That was why he'd been brought to the makeshift room at the back of the main hub, topside, and the medical team brought up to work on him.

Since then, they'd checked in on him and taken samples, done their work, and a few other things as time had gone on. However, as there were no new developments and nothing more to be found – he couldn't respond to their questions or really even speak at times of wakefulness – they'd placed him in a medically-induced coma and shifted focus back down below.

The man was kept alive, kept as comfortable as could be.

In the corners of her mind, Ava feared for what might happen if the Thargoids were to return. They dropped him here, yes; but did that mean they also knew what was really going on down below? Or would they realize it and come back with a vengeance?

Half of her told her the man could be saved, the basic human instinct to help another of her kind. And the other half of her, as horrible as it was, also would be okay if he got to the point of not making it. If he had a quiet passing, in his sleep, that would – in some ways – appease the gnawing fear in the back of her mind. Even so, Dr. Yilmaz was a woman of logic – her fear had no real foundations, and the potential for what they could learn from getting this man to a better condition would be far greater than any scary story she could tell herself.

"I agree," Ava responded in the here-and-now to Dr. Benson's comment, turning to set her coffee aside before the man shifted, "I'll get them," he offered. This gave Ava pause, the logistics weren't an issue but the social aspect was.

Her job and title were more of a nameplate than anything. Dr. Yilmaz's skills were real, but here in this present situation, convincing the bio-researchers to abandon their primary paid interests was not something she was very capable of doing. Despite being the overseer of that section, her tasks were directed more towards facilitating the smooth operation of the facility – not being down there with them, day to day, as their own supervisory and managerial staff was. Hers was an administrative role, and as few would know, in truth came with less power in certain circumstances than what those outside of such a business would come to imagine.

"Are you sure?" Dr. Yilmaz's question was directed towards Mikael's understanding of the situation, rather than his ability. He presented himself as a nice guy, but that wasn't what this called for. Ava knew there was more to him than that, but their interactions to date hadn't offered her a first-hand insight on the side of him in question. She needed to be sure that he knew what to do – if that were the case, then she could trust him with it.

Dr. Benson set his cup aside, "I'll get two or three of them to come up here."

It wouldn't be a resounding success, but just what they needed. Dr. Yilmaz was now more concerned with the effects of their irritation and off-the-books talks after this extra little task. "I appreciate it," that confirmed her approval to Mikael, and the materials scientist briefly placed a hand on her arm and gave a small peck at her cheek. Ava smiled, and the Dr. moved on towards the central alcove, from which the lift and an emergency stairwell access led deeper into the facility. It wasn't the first time they'd been tender to each other, though Ava also recognized the poignant risks that came along with mixing her heart and her head on the job.

Shifting her focus, Dr. Yilmaz returned to glancing over their unconscious guest. The caffeine was starting to kick in, and the dark brown-haired woman considered how to best respond to the coming small upset that her request to draw staff from their work would cause. She knew the negatives in how they viewed her, straight-laced and possibly incompetent when it came to certain social situations. And there was truth to it, Dr. Yilmaz had always preferred the safety and familiarity of logic and reason, the sciences, and held-fast facts. Even so, she had experienced enough and knew well enough by now, as well as having her own strong moral code, of just how to recompensate others without going too far in.

'_Kill 'em with kindness,_' her father had always said. But there were times that came off as fake, too much, and insincere. So instead, Ava would simply pay them a visit at the next opportunity to present itself. She knew just how to read people, and she knew just what card to play – once she was in her zone.


End file.
